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League of Legends creator bans G2A from sponsoring eSports teams

League of Legends creator Riot Games has formally banned G2A from sponsoring any eSports teams involved in League after the key reseller violated competition rules.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

October 7, 2015

1 Min Read
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League of Legends creator Riot Games has formally banned key reseller G2A from sponsoring any eSports teams involved in League

According to a report on The Daily Dot, G2A violated competition rules by allowing a third-party to advertise and sell boosting services and League accounts through its website. 

Although it was initially reported that the developer was only "considering" banning G2A, Riot's developer relations manager, J Eckert, took to reddit to confirm the decision.

Eckert explained that Riot initially asked G2A to "remove all account selling and boosting-site links" from its website, however, when the digital retailer failed to comply it was forced to pull the plug on all of G2A's sponsorship deals.

"This was not a decision we made lightly, and came after many weeks of back and fourth conversations with G2A to find a resolution, which we were not able to reach an agreement on," said Eckert.

"We do not at all enjoy affecting the income of the teams, but the LCS rules include guidelines specifically against this sort of thing. We did, however, keep teams in the loop during the process in an attempt to avoid any surprises."

"We weren't going to compromise our values on that one in the sake of preserving the sponsorships."

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About the Author

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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